Teacher2Mummy: Wimsey's Restaurant Parsons Green- Guest Post

For the first time ever, I am handing over to my other half to write a post! All of the photo's were also taken by him. He is a still and landscape photographer with his own 'quirky' photography site Meet Petty Photography.

But first a few words from me!

On Thursday we were lucky to have a rare date night, we ventured to Wimsey’s restaurant on the New Kings Road. Prior to our date I had a flick through the menu online and noticed a cat design on the header. Being a cat lover I was instantly intrigued and wanted to find where the inspiration came from!

Now over to the OH!

I have an adventurous side when it comes to food and I particularly like all types of Game. I've always found it hard to locate a restaurant in London which has a menu that permits such delicacies, so I was very excited to discover Wimsey's, on the New Kings Road in Parsons Green.

Wimsey's is a seasonal restaurant that promises...

'quality food, expertly cooked, from the very best ingridients we can find which, where possible will be British'

'Our menus will vary with the seasons and there will be special dishes each week to reflect what is on offer in the markets'

The Cat Design Lucinda mentioned!

In spite of my love for a good meal, I normally take my time in a restaurant choosing what to have. But looking through Wimsey’s menu online, I made my mind up straight away. I had my eye on the starters of Pigeon, Rabbit and quail. The mains of Pheasant, and Goose struck my attention immediately.

The restaurant itself is within an easy walking distance from Parsons Green tube and close to a number of bars if you fancy a pre or after dinner drink. On arrival, the name of the restaurant was bright and bold over the sparkling Christmas tree, which was a warm addition to the outside.

The staff on entry were extremely pleasant and welcomed us with the gesture of taking our coats. Rather than escorting you to a random table which to me never makes sense, Wimsey's would much rather have you decide where to sit. We opted for the table by the window which allowed a good view of the main area of the restaurant and it's interesting collection of wall art.

The drinks menu offered a large selection of wines, ports and sherrys, champagne, cocktails, digestifs and an unusual mix of soft drinks such as Victorian Lemonade and Wild English Elderflower. It was a bottle of the Italian Sergio sparkling wine we choose, with an accompaniment of sparkling water.

We engaged in pleasant conversation with the owner of the restaurant, Gwyn who told us about the name of the restaurant and the key features of the food. Wimsey's is named after the family cat, a character who had been in their lives for nineteen years. This delighted Lucinda and myself, (having felines of our own) it was nice to hear a touching story behind the name.

To start I had the pan roasted breast of Sussex quail, with pickled wild mushrooms and truffle & port sauce. Lucinda opted for the poached and rolled Dingley Dell ham hock with homemade piccalilli and toasted sour dough.
The food arrived promptly, and was attractively presented in a not so overcrowded way and looked marvellous under the suitably lit lights and twinkles of the Christmas tree.

Sussex Quail

Poached & Rolled Ham Hock

The main body of the quail was pan roasted to perfection and being drizzled in a zany truffle and port sauce, it gave a rich fruity accompaniment to the tender quail. An added bonus were the wings which were crispy coated and provided crunchy side to an already well received starter.
Lucinda also enjoyed her starter of ham hock and was a big fan of the homemade piccalilli. It became clear how much work goes into the dishes when we were told the ham hock dish takes twenty four hours to prepare!

For the main, I choose the pan roasted Essex Goose accompanied with braised red cabbage and pan gravy. I also chose a side of champ potatoes. Lucinda chose the Butter Roast Breast of chicken served with a herb mash and cream mushrooms. Gwyn recommended the brussel sprouts with chesnuts and redcurrants.

The Goose

Champ Potatoes

Lucinda's Chicken

Brussels, Chesnuts & Redcurrants

When the main arrived I was impressed at the sizable portion of goose served to me and was eager to tuck in! I found it succulent and juicy, I really did enjoy devouring it! Lucinda found her chicken to be an impressive dish too and described the chicken as one of the most tender pieces she has ever eaten. Of course I sampled some myself and was in agreement, the mushroom cream was so rich and creamy.

My side of champ potatoes made the perfect partner with my goose. I wasn't overly keen on the sprouts with chestnuts and redcurrants but that was down to personal taste, Lucinda enjoyed the twist from plain Brussel sprouts.

I'm not really one for dessert so I shared Lucinda's choice of chocolate & orange fondant served with cinnamon ice cream. Now this was a dessert Lucinda couldn't wait to sample. We were both impressed to hear that all the ice cream served at Wimsey's is homemade. I opted for a tipple instead, the Glayva Whiskey Liqueur.

As soon as Lucinda broke open the fondant, the gooey centre was clear to see and in Lucinda's words both the fondant and cinnamon ice cream were 'exquisite'.
We were also given a cheeky glass of Wimsey's festive cocktail, the Christmas Mojito. It was fantastic, refreshing with a 'merry' twist of spiced rum and ginger beer.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Wimsey's. The quality of the food and the preparation that is put in to each dish, is reflected in the prices. But when you are getting high quality, carefully selected ingredients this has to be expected.
If it's a fine dining experience you are striving for in London, definitely book a table at Wimesey's!

The kitchen in action...